Episode 1: Xerxes vs Themistocles, Part One: Persian Power

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In 486 BCE, Xerxes inherits the world’s largest empire and launches an invasion to crush Athens and assert his rule. In response, Themistocles, a rising force in Athenian democracy, pushes for a radical defence: a navy powered by the working class and unity among rival Greek states. As Persia advances and allies waver, Themistocles prepares to strike at sea, while Leonidas, king of Sparta, holds the pass at Thermopylae. Two visions collide; empire and tradition vs defiance and change.

In 486 BCE, Xerxes inherits the world’s largest empire and launches an invasion to crush Athens and assert his rule. In response, Themistocles, a rising force in Athenian democracy, pushes for a…

In 480 BCE, Xerxes’ army invades Greece as Themistocles leads the Greek fleet at Artemisium. Leonidas and 300 Spartans hold Thermopylae until a defector reveals a path, allowing Xerxes’ Immortals to…

After Rome’s First Punic War victory, Carthage’s power is diminished, but resentment simmers. In 218 BCE, driven by vengeance, Hannibal leads a daring invasion across the Alps, striking at Rome’s…

216 BCE. After surviving Hannibal’s deadly trap at Cannae, a young Roman officer begins a meteoric ascent. Scipio seizes the initiative by cutting off Carthage’s power in Spain, defeating its best…